Hi there,

It’s Thursday. I love Thursdays because it’s my day off.

Last year on this day it was 12.12.12. Today is 12.12.13 and tomorrow is 12.13.13 (Friday the 13th! Are you superstitious?) If there were a 13th month what would we call it? Where did the months of the year get their names anyway? And why am I talking about this?

I had plans to go Christmas shopping with a friend at some outlet stores at 11am so I got up early, put my coffee in a travel mug, bundled up and took the dog out first to the park because I am the best doggie mom (according to the dog anyways).

Then I went out for a brisk 5 mile run. I love cold weather running. It was 21 degrees (RealFeel of 12).

Christmas shopping on a weekday is just so much more civilized. And since the outlets we went to are outdoor (vs a mall) and with the temps in the 20s we pretty much had the place all to ourselves. No lines! There was just one unfortunate aspect of the day…my credit card is bleeding out. It was abused and I feel no remorse (yet).

Confession: This is not the first time I’ve gone outlet shopping during the holidays and spent more money on myself than for the gifts I should have been buying for other people. Yes, I’m afraid this has become an annual tradition and I’m not proud of it. My excuse is that I’m not one to spend a lot on myself during the course of the year (except for running registration fees of course) but come December, I go nuts.

It really started on Cyber Monday when I ordered that trampoline. (Which came yesterday—YAY—except it was missing a leg—BOO!—but I called the company’s customer service and they’re mailing me the missing leg—YAY! I’ll report back on how I like it in a future post.)

Then last night I went to a Touchstone Crystal jewelry party. I fell in love with this pendant necklace so I bought it.

Today’s purchases included a whole bunch of winter gear from Columbia Sportswear because I’ll be doing a lot of running in the winter. Some of the items were originally $130 and marked down to $50. Others were $65 marked down to $20. Have I mentioned how much I love outlets?

striped long sleeve half zip, 2 cool running jackets (one with armholes!) and two vests. (Duncan thinks the blue vest is for him)

The black vest (4th from left above) is a lighter weight with a hood. It’s going to make the perfect extra layer of a long sleeve tech shirt when I’m running in 20 degree weather for sure. And that light blue jacket (2nd from left above) has soft cuffs with thumbholes! I LOVE thumbholes.

Then I bought not one, but 2 pairs of sunglasses.

Maui Jim Ho’okipa Sport, Oakley Break Point, Lucky jeans, earrings and iPad cover

I scored a pair of Oakley Break Point sunglasses for $45 (original price was $130)  and then I got a pair of Maui Jim Ho’okipa Sport sunglasses for running. They definitely were not a bargain but since the Oakley’s were practically free…..ok I’m rationalizing. =)

Oh and I got Lucky at Lucky Brand Jeans. A sweet leopard print ipad case for $9.97, some cute earings at 50% off and 2 pairs of really awesome “baby” boot cut jeans that were buy one pair get the second 1/2 price. They are soft and stretchy (think a combination of denim and leggings) and the darkest indigo which really flatter my athletic runner’s thighs =) Finding good jeans is as awesome as eating an ice cream sundae for breakfast!

So all in all a great day. The season is quickly spinning into a frenzy of events….I’ve got the 15K tomorrow morning, a holiday party on Sunday, and 2 holiday parties next week back to back. I’m making a pact with myself to remain true to my blog’s title and not sweat the small stuff but rather sweat out the small stuff. I don’t want to lose sight of the spirit of this time of year by being overwhelmed and worried about “fitting it all in”.

My dearest friend Sue who is a writer and an animal lover (she doesn’t run but I love her anyway) has been writing over at Writeawaysue. If you’d like a nice mix of humor, inspiration and some “reality check—life could be worse” go take a read.

Question: What are your weekend plans? Are you behind with your holiday preparations/decorating/shopping? Running any races? Anyone start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions?

share this0000